Downpour
by can1235
Summary: Levi, the Rain Alchemist, has been looking for something, something that he lost. Of course, being a State Alchemist helps, but the fact that he's only 14 doesn't. Oh, and there's one more thing getting in his way... Takes place after FMA Brotherhood, so spoilers ahead.
1. Chapter 1

_Alright, here goes, after this I'll be able to see your smiling face again. It's going well, everything looks fine. Wait, what's going on!? What the-let go of me! No, don't! I just want to see her again! I just want to see her!_

"No!" I yelled, waking up in a sweat. _Just a dream…it was just a dream…_I thought to himself. I slowly got up, thinking about his dream. The door suddenly slammed open, startling him.

"Hey rain, get up. They found our guy. Direct orders from the Fuhrer himself say the guy is going in alive, got that?" it was the Colonel, crap. _Suddenly I feel like going back to sleep._ I thought, but he knew the Colonel would never let him sleep.

"Alright Colonel, so where is the guy?" I asked him. "And you do know you don't have to call me rain, right?" Rain was my alchemist title. The Rain Alchemist, that's what they call me.

"Fine then Levi," the Colonel said, "I guess it's just something I picked up from somebody else." He said that every now and then, but when I asked he'd never say who, instead telling me, "You'd never believe me if I told you."

"Let me guess, we're headed out right now?

"How'd you know?"

"Because you're not the kind of guy who likes to wait. At least let me get dressed." He stepped out and shut the door as I got dressed. _Jeez, here he comes, Colonel Elric himself, wanting everybody to get up right away because there's a criminal who needs to get caught ASAP._ I thought to myself. After getting ready, I stepped out of my room to see the Colonel waiting for me.

"You ready Levi?" He asked. I turned around and started walking.

"On second thought, just call me rain," I told him, "it feels weird when you call me by my first name."

"Fair enough. Let's go." I saw a military vehicle waiting for us. We both got in and the Colonel started telling me things that had been discovered about the guy we were looking for. "Somebody described him as having blonde hair, and other reports suggest he spends a lot of time in the industrial areas. A call sent out a few minutes before I woke you up states that he is currently around a factory belonging to an arms manufacturer that primarily makes weapons for the military." He looked at me and noticed me looking bored. "Oh, if you want it to go by faster, why don't I let you read it?"

"Very funny Colonel," I steamed, "Go on, I'm listening."

"Anyways, as I was saying, "he continued, "The target also has knowledge of Alchemy, and it's currently unknown whether he uses gloves, tattoos or something else to help him transmute, but we know he's using something due to how fast he can transmute. That's all the new information we have on him right now." After that it went silent in the car as we got closer to the factory. After a while we arrived and got out. The Colonel looked around, trying to see if he could spot the guy, when it started raining._ Perfect, this'll help._ I thought.

A few seconds after the rain started, I yelled "Up there!" The Colonel looked where I was pointing to see a hooded figure running across the factory roof.

"I don't know how you do it. Let's go." The colonel yelled. We both ran to the roof. The Colonel and I transmuted the ground to launch us to the roof. He landed in front of the hooded man, I landed behind him. "It's over, give up before this gets out of hand." The hooded man smirked and then transmuted walls all around the Colonel. He proceeded to make them thicker and thicker until the Colonel had no hope of getting out without help.

"Now that he's out of the way, it's time we had a talk," the hooded man smirked, "I need you to come with me right now kid. If you don't, I have permission to hurt you, and they just want you alive, but barely breathing is okay." He tried to grab me, but I jumped back, clapped my hands and proceeded to transmute a column that knocked him away. "There we go, that's all the proof I need; you're the real deal! Now this is your last warning kid, give up and come with me or I'll have to-" was all he was able to say before we was whacked in the face with a metal bat. "Oh, so that's how you're going to do it, huh? Fine then, just don't scream too loud when I kick the crap out of you!" he yelled and then charged at me.

I sidestepped as he ran towards me and held the bat out where he would run. He stopped quickly and grabbed the bat, turning it so fast I had to let go in order to avoid having my wrists broken. I stepped back, transmuting another weapon out of the roof, this time a sword. "Old style huh? I can respect that," he yelled as he ran towards me again, faster than anyone I had ever fought before. I slashed at him, managing to cut him, but he jumped over me, agile as before. "Ouch, that really hurt, "he said in a mocking tone before laughing, "now I have to hurt you back. Isn't that the equivalent exchange you Alchemists love talking about? You know, I actually have something to ask you," he yelled before running at me again, forcing me to dodge away just barely dodging him. "Why do they call you the Rain Alchemist?"

"You seem to know a lot already, so I'll tell you," I growled, "the reason they call me the Rain Alchemist is because I fight best when it's raining. If you want to know why, it's because," I started before dashing at him with my sword, catching him off guard and stabbing him with my sword, "because I'm blind." The hooded man started walking back, still moving even with the huge open wound in his stomach.

"Well that explains it!" he laughed, walking farther back until he was at the ledge, "that was the price you had to pay, wasn't it? The price you had to pay when you attempted human transmutation!" He had a laughing fit, doubling over as he tried to regain composure.

"Wait, how do you know about-" was all I got to say before he interrupted me.

"Sorry kid, I wish we could chat, but I gotta go give the news to my boss. We'll see each other again, don't worry," he grinned, then jumped off the ledge. I knew that nothing had hit the ground, as there was no impact sound. I walked over to the Colonel's makeshift prison and got rid of the walls using Alchemy.

"Who was that guy?" the Colonel asked, clearly thinking about what the man had said.

"I honestly could care less, it sounds like that guy won't be back for a while," I responded, "and when he does, I'm gonna make sure he gets walks away in chains."

**I love FMA, and I wanted to make a series that takes place after Brotherhood, so I finally made the first chapter. Make sure you let me know if you enjoy it, and I'll hopefully have another chapter up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Hey Levi, look! I found it while I was in the backyard!"_

_ "Grace, you know you shouldn't be touching birds, they have diseases on them!"_

_ "But this one was hurt, and I had to do something!"_

_ "Fine, let me see it. Looks like its left wing is broken, and some of its feathers have been torn off. It must've gotten into a fight."_

_ "Wow, I didn't even notice the feathers! Mom's right when she says you have the best eyes in the family!"_

_ "You don't need to praise me every time I see something you don't."_

_ "Come on, you're amazing! I wish I had eyes like that!"_

_ "Well maybe if you started wearing your glasses more often you'd be able to see things like this."_

_ "Come on, you know those give me headaches!"_

_ "No pain, no gain. Come on, we need to take this bird inside. Good thing mom's visiting Aunt Cindy or we'd never be able to get to the doorway with this bird."_

_ "What if something happens to mom while she's away?"_

_ "Don't worry, she'll be fine."_

_ "But Jonas was talking about this disease that's been going around in Central!"_

_ "Grace, I told you to stop hanging out with Jonas, he's trouble. Besides, they're just rumors, nothing to worry about."_

_ "Yeah, you're probably right, I shouldn't get worried over a story."_

_ "Look, it's raining. Good thing we got inside before it started."_

_ "I hate the rain. It gets me wet and I can't play outside."_

_ "Oh come on, the rain's not that bad."_

_ "Hey, somebody's at the door!"_

_ "If you want our mom she's not here, she's in Central."_

_ "Are you two the children of Suzanne Marthers?"_

_ "Yeah, why are you asking?"_

_ "I have something to tell you. It's about your mother."_

**I hit a small writer's block, so the next chapter will take a while. I decided to shed some more light on Levi's backstory so that you guys could have something to read while I work on the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey boss, you won't believe what I found out about the kid!"

"I thought I told you to come back with the child."

"I tried, but he just wouldn't go! I wanted to break the brat in half right there, but I know you'd hate that."

"I guess its good news that you didn't kill somebody this time. What information did you gain?"

"I found out the kid's blind! He lost his sight when he tried human transmutation!"

"Well, that is interesting. Although I can't allow you to go back. Instead I'll send Vanity."

"Aww come on! I can do way better than Vanity!"

"Be quiet Insanity. At least Vanity doesn't enjoy killing people that should be kept alive!"

"Whatever. So do I just hang out or are you gonna give me another job?"

"I want you to go make some trouble in Western Command, just make sure the trouble isn't linked to you."

"Got it, stealth. I hate having to crawl around like a creep, but fine."

"What do you mean I'm being transferred!?" I yelled. It was bad enough we didn't get the hooded lunatic, but now I was being transferred!? "I shouldn't be transferred to Western Command just because I screwed up one job!"

"Do I have to pull out the list?" the Colonel asked before opening his desk drawer and pulling out a list the stretched to the floor. "September 11th, blows up an alleyway trying to catch a common thief. October 3rd, smashes 17 panes of glass trying to apprehend a murderer. August 8th, Gets put in the hospital trying to catch a rogue Alchemist. August 11th, when outside of previously mentioned hospital on a walk, he spots a person that looked like rogue Alchemist and blows up entire hospital trying to catch person, only to discover it was the wrong guy. Do I need to go on? Besides, this isn't about your mishaps, it's about the fact that you have never operated outside Central, and the higher ups think it's time you go to different places."

"Oh come on, I grew up in the west, do I really need to see more of it?" I steamed. I was dead set against going to Western Command, and for more reasons than one. The Colonel looked at me in an almost pitiful expression.

"It can't be that bad, right?" he asked, "Besides, on your off days you could visit old friends, or fami-" the Colonel stopped before he could finish, but it was too late. My expression turned to one of pure hatred.

"I am not going." I steamed, trying my absolute hardest not to start yelling. "I am not going, and that is final. Now if you excuse me, I have reports to file on the nutjob who got away because somebody didn't do anything to help me out." I got up and walked out of the office. It didn't take a genius to know I wasn't going to file papers. Once I was out of the building, I ran. I didn't care where I went, I just ran. It was stupid of me to think I would go far, and only after a couple minutes I had realized that I was in a part of Central that I had never been to. In the unfamiliar area, I started to bump into people and objects, tripping over practically everything. People stopped and tried to help, but I would just get up and start running again.

I eventually made it into an alleyway, where I sat down. _There's nothing for me in the west but bad memories._ I thought. _Friends? Family? More like nobody. _I had alienated any friends I had after I had gone blind, and I had left to train to become a State Alchemist before I had time to apologize. And family? As I started to think of my family, I felt tears run down my cheeks. _Stop crying moron, it's stupid to cry._ I thought, but the tears kept coming. _I don't have family. Everybody in my family is…is…_I tried to block it out of my mind, but I was too late. _Dead. _Flashes in my mind, of mom, of dad, of Grace. The funeral. Grace and I seeing dad there after him being gone so long. The look on his face. Him gone again, only a couple days later. Aunt Cindy moving there to take care of us. News about the sickness moving west. December, 1918. Aunt Cindy and Grace sick. January, 1919. Aunt Cindy's burial. Dad there again. Grace too sick to even attend. February. Grace's funeral. Dad isn't there. April. The news about dad. Killed himself. Small funeral. May. I want to bring her back. I find an Alchemy teacher. 1922. February.

I stopped myself right there. I didn't want to relive that memory. I got up and wiped the tears off my face. I walked out of the alley and started to head back to Central Command only to get grabbed and pulled into a car. I heard a woman's voice. "Don't worry, we're military. The Colonel's been trying to find you. He'll be relieved when he finds out we found you. We'll be heading back to Central Command." The car started moving. Even though I had ran, not caring where I went, I still kept track of the distance by blocks and turns. _1 block…right turn…3 blocks…right turn…2 blocks…left turn…wait, that was supposed to be 2 blocks, another left. Wait, I'm not going to Central Command… the car's heading out of the city!_

"Is it okay if I roll down my window? It's getting a little stuffy in here." I acted. I tried to make it sound as believable as possible. _Man, not seeing somebody's face can be a real pain sometimes. I can't tell if she believes me or not._

"Sure, that's okay." she replied. _Yes, she bought it!_ I rolled down the window. _Judging by the sound, the window is big enough for me to fit in. Now I just need to find the right time to jump. Judging by the path we've gone down, we should be in south 45__th__ street. Wait, isn't there a construction site 2 blocks from here? If I can land in the ditch that takes up part of the sidewalk…_ Thankfully, the car didn't make any turns, it just kept going. When I felt the time was right, I jumped out, landing in something soft. I put my hands down and felt dirt._ Thank goodness I landed in the ditch, even if I'm still hurting, at least I shouldn't have any broken bones._ I quickly got up and started running for Central Command.

I made sure to dodge through alleys and take weird routes to try to lose my attempted kidnappers. I somehow made it to Central Command and ran in. I flashed my State Alchemist pocket watch to the receptionist. "I need…to see…Colonel…Alphonse…Elric…"I huffed, out of breath. "Right now…got it?" She said to follow her, but I told her I knew where his office was. I ran as fast as I could until I got to the office. "Colonel! Somebody just tried to kidnap me!"

"I'm sorry, but the Colonel's out right now. Wait, you were almost kidnapped?" _That voice, it couldn't be…_ "Here, how about you come with me kid. My boss will make absolutely sure you aren't in any danger." It was him. The hooded man I had fought just last night.


	4. Chapter 4

"So kid, what do you say? You gonna come with me or am I gonna have to kick you into next week?" the hooded man grinned. "I'm not gonna pressure you, cause if you say yes my boss will be pleased, but if you say no I get to kill you as slowly as I like, so it's a win-win." _He has a boss?_ I thought. _It's weird to think a guy like this would have somebody who can keep him under control._

"How about I don't go with you," I said, "and instead I beat _you_ up? Sound good?" I proceeded to transmute the walls of the office to create spikes that were inches away from his head. "Or I could always just trap you and escape." The hooded man just stood there for a few seconds and then broke out in laughter.

"Oh that's rich." He laughed. "Listen kid, last time was more of a test, a way to see your weaknesses. In other words, I had to hold back, but this time, I have every right to kill you if you don't cooperate. So why don't you be a good boy and come with-" was all he was able to say before he was launched out of the window by a column of stone.

"I don't think that'll happen," it was the Colonel! "Come on rain, we need to get you out of here." He grabbed me and we ran towards the exit.

"How did you know what was going on?"

"When I was walking in the receptionist seemed surprised to see me, she said she was told I was already in my office. I knew something was up, so I ran down and saw you and that hooded guy, so I decided to step in."

"Listen Colonel, I'm-"

"Save apologies for later, right now we need to get you somewhere safe." We ran out the door and thought we were in the clear when we heard a voice.

"That was quite some trouble you gave me, but I've got you now," it was the woman in the car! "Now come with me, my boss will be very happy I found you."

I walked up to her and clapped my hands when I heard a voice behind me. "I don't think so. You are trying to kidnap a State Alchemist, and State Alchemists are the people I'm in charge of." Colonel Elric turned around and tried to say something when the man interrupted him. "Stand down Colonel Elric, I have this under control."

"And who are you?" the woman asked. "I don't think I've ever met you before. It's a sad thing I didn't get to know you better before I killed you, but I have a job to do."

"You want to know who I am? I'm Major General Roy Mustang, and you'd better back off." _No way, that's the Major General!? _It went silent for a few seconds until yet another pair of footsteps could be heard.

"Ugh, my head. Why do big-wigs always have to be on the higher floors of buildings…"

"Insanity, what are you doing here?" the woman asked in a tone that said it all. She wanted to murder him right then and there. _Great, they know each other._

"Oh, heheh. Hey Vanity, how's it going?"

"I could've sworn the boss told me to grab the kid and you to stay away from him."

"Oh come on Vanity, I can't just leave that kid alone after he stabbed me with a sword!"

"You should know that we have no problem when people stab us."

"Oh come on, even if we can regenerate, it still hurts!"

"Shut up you idiot! In case you haven't noticed, there are people." They both turned to look at us. Colonel Elric and Major General Mustang acted like they had seen a ghost.

"No…it couldn't be…" the Colonel whispered. "Homunculi…"

"Well good job Insanity, just how much did you tell them!?"

"Nothing much!" I realized that I could use this as an opportunity.

"Oh no," I said, "He told me a lot, like the fight I had with him was a test to see how I fought." The woman who was called Vanity turned and gave the man called Insanity a look of pure evil.

"Well that's just wonderful. I don't know what to do now, he was never supposed to be here. I guess we'll let you off, but don't think we're not coming back. We're just having a chat with our boss on what to do about you and him." She pointed to Insanity. "Well, I do hope we meet again and properly introduce." She dragged him off.

"Wait, come ba-" I tried to finish, but the Colonel stopped me.

"Let it go rain. If what I think they are is right, we need to get you far away from Central, fast."

We headed back inside Central Command. Major General Mustang had us follow him to his office where he explained that he had come to give me the direct order to head to Western Command, but now that he had seen the attempted kidnappers, he decided to change the transfer to East City, where I would be serving. They wouldn't tell me who they 2 strangers were, but I could tell they were both shaken up. I was to board the train in an hour, and that was that. I was thankful that I wasn't going to Western Command, even though I wanted to stay in Central.

I packed my stuff and headed to the train to see Colonel Elric there to send me off. "Listen Levi," he said with a smile on his face, "I know it's been a rush lately and you probably have little idea of what's going on, but you'll know as soon as we get this all figured out." I nodded in understanding and got on the train. The Colonel yelled, "Oh, and make sure you visit my brother in Resembool!" I yelled that I would as the train started moving. Eventually I settled down to sleep until I heard somebody sit down in front of me.

"Well isn't this a surprise, I didn't expect to see you here Levi!" _Wait…teacher!?_ I jolted up when I recognized the voice

"Teacher! What are you doing on the train, I thought you lived in the West!" I was extremely surprised that she was heading to the East.

"Please, you're not my student anymore, it's just Izumi. And I'm visiting a former pupil actually. So, how have you been doing?"

"Uhh, you know, good and everything." I tried to look down.

"You look like you're hiding something Levi, what is it?"

"Uhh nothing, nothing at all!"

"Don't lie to me Levi, I may not be your teacher anymore, but…"she noticed me avoiding eye contact. "Levi, look at me!" she grabbed my face and pulled it up. I tried to guess where her eyes were, but when I heard her gasp I knew it was all over. "Levi…you didn't…"I pushed her hand away and ran to the caboose of the train, but as I ran I could hear her whispering to herself. "Not again…not again…"


	5. Chapter 5

I ran until I got to the very back of the train. I leaned on the railing that separated me from the ground that was moving away. I was a wreck. It's one thing to know you screwed up, but then life keeps telling you, over and over. It's almost like life hates people who make the wrong decisions. I thought I was going to cry, but no tears came down. I guess after before I was just out of tears. I heard footsteps behind me.

"So, you really tried…" it was Teacher. "You know, I'm starting to think it's me making the wrong choices as a teacher. You're not the only one who tried you know, I had two other students who tried the same thing. Their lives were hard, but they endured. I always thought they just made a mistake, but now you…I'm starting to think I'm just a bad teacher."

I lifted my head up and turned to her. "Teacher, don't say that," I consoled her. "It was nobody's fault but mine. You made it clear that I should never try human transmutation, but I ignored you and did it anyways. This is the price I paid for ignoring you. Don't beat yourself up because I was a moron."

"Thanks Levi," she sniffed. "It's funny how I come out here to try to console you but you end up beating me to the punch. That was you, asking to learn something seconds before I planned on telling you that you'd learn the same thing. I know you're still beating yourself up over it, even if you don't. I can see it in your eyes. You look like you hate yourself more than anybody else." She sighed. "Listen, let's head back to the passenger car. I followed her to the seat we were in before. "So Levi, why are you heading to East City?"

I should've made up a lie, but I had forgotten all about Teacher's hatred of the military. "Oh, it's a transfer from Central. I'll be serving here for a whi-" I got that much out before I heard the sound of a knife hitting the chair right by my head.

"YOU'D BETTER NOT TELL ME YOU'RE IN THE MILITARY!" Teacher screamed. I gulped and tried to make up something, but all I could do was stutter. "SO I'LL TAKE THAT AS A YES THEN!" One thing I was glad about at that point is that I wasn't able to see here evil eyes. Normally she was strict, but calm, but she despised the military and turned into a frightening beast whenever they were mentioned.

"I'm sorry Teacher!" I stuttered. "It's just that I'm trying to find a way to get my sight back!" I shivered in fear at the thought of what she might do to me, but then she just started laughing.

"I swear," she chuckled. "You're exactly like him." I asked who and she replied, "The student that I was talking about." I asked which one, the one she was visiting or the one who attempted human transmutation and she replied, "They're one and the same. His name's Edward Elric. He lives in Resembool with his wife and kids."

"Wait, is his brother named Alphonse?"

"Actually, yes. How did you know that?"

"Well he was my commanding officer back in Central."

"Wait, are you telling me that Alphonse is back in the military?" he tone had gone back to beast mode and I quickly grabbed the knife she had thrown, just in case she tried to grab it.

"Uhh…yeah, he is…"

"Well, next time I head to Central I'd better give him a piece of my mind." She muttered, her teeth gritting. She then quickly changed her personality to happy again. "So, have you been anywhere besides Central?" _I swear, how she can just change her personality like that is a mystery…_ We had a long conversation of the train, catching up and talking about things we would do in the west. Teacher agreed to take me to Resembool as long as I paid for her train ride back to the east.

Eventually we arrived at the station where a military car was waiting for me. "I won't be going till Thursday, so you have some time to get settled here." Teacher told me. _That's 5 days from now, plenty of time for me to get settled and get used to my surroundings._ We said goodbye and I got in the car. I was happy I didn't have to walk, I'd never find my way alone.

After a while I arrived at Eastern Command and stepped out of the car. As I got into the office I was greeted by a brown-haired secretary who eagerly shook my hand. "Hi, are you the Rain Alchemist? Hi my name's Sheska, I'm here to take you to Colonel Archer's office." She quickly spoke, giving me no space for questions. I decided to just let her talk on until we got to the office.

Eventually, after way too many questions from Sheska and no answers from me we made it to the office. I thanked her and walked in. As I opened the doors I heard a man's voice saying "Sit down," so I walked in and sat down. I heard the voice again, saying "So you're the Rain Alchemist." He chuckled. "I didn't think you'd be this young." I took an immediate disliking to him. He sounded like the world's biggest smart alec. "So, I guess it's time for introductions. I already know who you are Levi, so I'll skip that. My name is Frank Archer, and I will be your commanding officer for as long as you stay in the east. Here is your first mission. All the details are in the envelope so I won't have to worry about wasting my time explaining it to you." _Did he not read the part that says I'm blind?_

"Uh sir, I don't think-" I was interrupted by him quickly.

"You are dismissed." I tried to say something again until he yet again cut me off saying, this time in a slightly more agitated tone, "You are dismissed." I stepped out of his office, unsure what to do. I was just handed a report that I couldn't read! I walked down the halls, heading for the exit until I bumped into somebody, and we both fell down. I hear papers scattering on the floor.

"Oh no!" I heard a woman yell. She sounded like the secretary who had helped me earlier. "I had these all organized and everything!" she sounded like she was getting more angry at herself than at me.

"Don't worry, I can help. It's my fault anyway." I told her. I started fumbling around trying to find the papers until I grabbed one. "Here." I handed it to her.

"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed. "You don't have to help me, I'm sure State Alchemists like you have jobs to do!" I asked her how she knew that. "Oh, it was your silver pocketwatch. And the fact that I sort of read your file. I'm sorry, it's just that Colonel Archer wanted it, and I was bored walking down the hallway, so I just kinda peeked." She sounded like she felt really bad.

"It's okay, I don't really mind." I smiled. "Hey, can you help me out with something?" she asked what. "Colonel Archer gave me this envelope on my case, but since you read my file you know I can't exactly read it. Can you help me out?"

"Oh yeah, sure!" she yelled, pulling me up. "I was about to go on my break anyways, I just had to deliver these papers. Here, follow me, I just need these papers turned in then I can help!" we walked over to an archive where Sheska put up her papers than grabbed my hand again. "I know a great café nearby where I can help!" she pulled me along as we headed to the café. Once we got there, Sheska ordered a coffee for herself and asked me what I wanted.

"Oh, no thanks, I'm not thirsty," I said, but she insisted, so I ordered a water. As the waitress walked off, Sheska opened up the file. "Are you sure we should be doing this here?" I asked, worried that somebody might listen in on us.

"Don't worry, nobody's here right now but us and the employees, so we're fine!" she started to read the report. "The target is named Jonathan Sanders. He is five foot ten, Caucasian with blonde hair. His crime was…oh my gosh…killing his wife and family, then proceeding to blow up his apartment, which caused six more people to die." We were both shocked at the news. "The higher-ups want him brought in dead or alive. Whether the target is brought in dead or alive is up to the one who finds him." I tried to apologize to Sheska for having to read that but she just said, "It's okay, I didn't have anything to do during my break anyways." We said goodbye after our drinks and I went out searching for the madman.

**FMA 2003 fans rejoice, I have brought in characters from that series! I thought Sheska deserved more attention in Brotherhood, and Archer just fit the role I wanted for Levi's new commanding officer, so I decided to bring them both in. Don't worry, the story will pick up very soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

I walked down the street, wondering where to start looking, when I realized something. How could I find him when I can't see!? I practically slapped myself right there. I considered my options. _Maybe I could get Sheska to help…no, she's working now and I don't want her put in danger…crap, I don't really know anybody else here…I can't tell teacher, this stuff is for military only…_ I kept thinking until I heard a female voice.

"Hey, wait up!" she ran over to me, out of breath. I wondered who she was, and why she was going up to me. "I don't think you'll get far without me!" I asked who she was and she quickly replied "Didn't Archer tell you? I'm working under you on this assignment. Name's Emma, State Alchemist in training. You're supposed to show me the ropes on a regular assignment."

"Wait, what?" I asked, "Archer never said anything about teaching you or even working with anybody on this assignment." She sighed and groaned.

"Great, Colonel Archer strikes again!" Emma sighed, angered about the news. "Archer's had it out for me ever since I got here. I don't know why but he's been giving me false information on things like lessons, people who can help me learn more about Alchemy, so on and so forth," she groaned. "And now he's made sure the State Alchemist that's supposed to be showing me how assignments are done!"

"Wait," I stopped her. "Aren't people supposed to take a test if they want to be a State Alchemist?" I remembered my test, it was a physical test then a mental test, and I didn't study under any State Alchemists.

"It's a new program the military's thinking of using instead of tests. I guess you could call me the guinea pig," she chuckled. "Anyways, I read your case file, so I know you're blind, and do you really think you'll find the guy when you can't see him?" I sighed when she brought up the fact that I wouldn't be able to catch him on my own.

"Fine, but if I'm teaching you, then you follow my orders, I don't want anybody dying when I'm around." I sighed. She already sounded like a handful, and Archer seemed like the type who likes making people suffer, so I doubted this would be a one-time thing.

"Oh come on, we're practically the same age," she huffed. "Why can't we just work as partners and then say you're teaching me?"

"Because I'm a State Alchemist with experience, and you're a trainee with little experience. Is that a good enough reason?"

Emma sighed again and gave up. "Fine, I'll follow your orders." I heard a small voice saying something. "Hold on, it's the alert channel." She pulled something out of her pocket and we could both hear the voice, even if there was a lot of static. "We just got these handheld radios, they're mass producing them so not just the military at the front lines gets them." We both listened to the voice.

"Again, we have reports of a man at West 45th Avenue, matches the description of the guy who killed his family and 6 people, he seems to be making something."

"That's our guy," she confirmed and pressed a button on the radio. "We hear your report and are heading over there now, over." She put the radio back in her pocket. "Come on, let's go."

"I thought I was supposed to be the one giving the orders!" I yelled, but she was already running. I ran after her, thinking about what a pain she was going to be.


End file.
